Strongly influenced by European trends in the 1920s and 30s, American graphic design had come of age by mid-century. The many uses of the graphic arts—including advertising, publishing, and propaganda—are on display in this book's more than 100 color reproductions. The text traces the evolution of a distinctly American style, and the illustrations show a wide array of book, magazine, and album covers, as well as some very creative government-sponsored posters and fliers by such artists as Paul Rand, Herbert Bayer, and Milton Glaser.